♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. his populism in the u.s. and europe a threat to human rights? donald trump encouraged hateful attacks. and here it is not much better. we will speak with the head of human rights watch. mixed messages from the incoming trump team as to nominees

contradict the president, the would-be head of the cia and defense secretary taking hard lines on russia. the u.s. government charges another car manufacturer with cheating on fuel in addition -- fuel in missions, the chrysler. -- fiat chrysler. a priceless iraranian art collection including works by francis bacon and picasso. the wife of the formerr shop p s at the -- shah is at the center of this intrigue. we speak why the exhibition had to be canceled in berlin. ♪ sarah: i am sarah kelly, thank you for joining us. human rights under threat in leading democracies.

that is what human rights watch warns in its annual report. the group says that hatred and intolerance were major factors in donald trump's successful run for the white house, and it adds that european populists, using migrants as scapegoats and -- for the slow work. >> a man who does not like immigrants is about to become president. the anti-islam slogans of marine le pen are giving her a good chance of becoming france's president. in hungary, the prime minister has contracted -- constructed border fences to keep refugees out. populists are being loudly applauded, and human rights organizations are sounding the alarm. >> human rights exists to protect people from governance, but a new generation of populists is reversing that role

. claiming to speak for the people, they treat rights as an impediment to the majority will. reporter: the election campaign of donald trump was a vivid example of the politics of intolerance, fueling hate in the nation. he wants to stop muslims from entering the country and build a wall to keep undocumented migrants crossing from mexico. donald trump: they are bringing drugs, crime, they are rapists, and some i assume are good people. reporter: this year europe will also see how much sway such generalizations have year.. elections are due to be held in france, germany and in the netherlands. the right-wing populist is leading the polls. >> and we have had enough political correctness. we have had enough of the islamicization of the society.

we stand for freedom. reporter: human rights watch is critical of leaders in other parts of the world such as russia and china. but also in turkey where tens of thousands have been arrrrested since an attempted coup last july. the organization says responsibility lies in the hands of governments, but also with every citizen. the public should be making love demands for justice and democracy -- loud demands for justice and democracy. sarah: we are joined by kenneth roth in new york, the executive director of human rights watch. thank you for being with us. you say the rise of populism poses a rebound -- poses a found threat.. what is that? kenneteth populism -- kenneth: populism says i it is the rights

of that majority. this is being trampled on by refugees. that can be popular with a pupublic that is facing serious threats whether it is economic dislocation caused by globalization, whether it is the cultural change caused by immigrgration or the threat of terrorism. in t the difficult environment,e see republics susceptible to the populists. that is why human rights of watch -- human rights watch has isissued this warning to stand , not fall for the simple solutions offered by the populists. sarah: one politician you mentioned who has done that to great success is u.s. president-elect donald trump. for example, some might look at your report and say it is

partisan. how would you respond to thatat critique? kenneth: justt a couple of days before human rights watch i issd its anannual report, i publishea long critiquque of the obabama admistrarati's eight years. we are very much a bipartisan crititicism m -- critics. wewe hold every govovernment, republican, democrat, what have you to the same standards. if you look around the world, we are c critical of l lt ones like in ecuador and also right-wing like vladimir putin and we care about the policies. we see populists from a number of persuasions are simply jettisoning human rights. they say they are an example of obstacle. we have seen how this works in the past. communism, fascicism, these e we all about claiming majority will

, justifying trumping the rights of the minority. if you look at the example of resident erdogan in turkey, he had tremendous populararity aftr the suppressed d to attempt, but thenen he used that -- coup attempmpt, but then n he used tt to quell any voice like journalists orissidentss who could size tim. and in europop presidentnt cece- asisi wasas popular, bubut now e has shut down the independent press, anyny potential to resize s s govemement. this is whatat happens whehen yu sacrife the rigights of an ununpopular minority at firirst. the governments f feel they have licensed to g gradually go past the critics. very few people have any rights at all. sarah: whitey think the environment is so right for the

success of movements like brexit, far right in france, election of trump - -- why now,, and what is s the bestt anecdot kenneth: why n now is becaus there ara a series o of problems thatat people feel their governments are not answering. it is economic dislocation, the threat of terrorism. this is a difficult environment. the populists often don't offer real solutions. true that trump talks about undocumented immigrants, but it is basically zero, and they take jobs like americans don't want, keeping them built under relatively cheap labor. or many y europeans like promotg islamophobia as an answer to terrorism. but of course the last thing you want to do is fight terrorism effectively by discriminating against people, because they are the ones most likekely to know f a terrorist plolots.

but please need their cooperation which they w will nt geget if the official rhetetoris islamomophobia. we need the public of bototo stand upup to thehese and sayaye e not thee answers to prproblem, not the kind of intolerant, hatred field societies that we want. sarah: thank you. kenneth ross. you have said human rights is under threat due to the rise of populism. we appreciate your perspective. there is just a week left before the inauguration of donald trump as the next president of the united states, and it remains bumpy. during confirmation hearings, some of trump's cabinet nominees set out positions that contradict those of their future boss. they had been defending the intelligence agencies and taking hard-line on russia. >> do you solemnly swear --

reporter: a new time on russia from team trump. his pick for the cia top job, mike pompeo, said russia interfered in the u.s. election according to the cancerous congressman, the russian government authorized at the high levels. >> it is clear what totook place in effororts to hack information and to have an impact on american democracy. reporter: general james mattis, the secretary of defense nominee, was even clearer. >> i would consider the principal threats to start with russia. reporter: the trump team's turnaround on russia is 24 hours after a u.s. website published an unverified intelligence report. it alleged rusussia had collectd compromising information about trump's private life and included details of meetings

between trump advisors and kremlin officials. trump calls the report fake news. the president-elect says intelligence agencies released it on purpose. >> it is disgraceful that it was allowed that turned us to be so false and fake -- reporter: relations are icy between u.s. intelligence chiefs and trump, but they are fighting back. james clapper denies the u.s. agencies have been leaking information to reporters. team trump doesn't buy that. >> the president-elect had a briefing by the four top intelligence officers last week. we were happy to receive them. 's then no sooner do they have it that people are leaking information. reporter: now more headlines for donald trump. marine le pen was that trump tower on thursday. she is the leader of the french

far right national front party and ed known admirer of vladimir putin. sarah: as he gears up to take over, the outgoing obama administration is busy wrapping things up. in one of his final acts, he awarded the national presidential medal to vice president joe biden. [laughter] president obama: talk about our bromance. reporter: it was emotional, calling him the best vice president america has ever had an brother, president barack obama surprised joe bididen, honoringng him for his lifetimef public service. president obama: my final time as president, i am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom. reporter: it was a warm conclusion to an improbable partnership. [applause] reporter: former rivals for the

presidency became close friends. obama and biden on inauguration day nearly eight years ago. the president and his deputy bonded in 2008 during a tough election campaign, then the personal and political demands of obama's presidency challenged both men. father joe watched his oldest son speak at the democratic convention in 2012. by then, he had already been ill for years. in 2014, he died of cancer at age 46. obama supported biden through those dark days when the vice president considered resigning. in his last state of the union address, he thanked biden by putting him in charge against the struggle of cancer. >> to the loved ones we have lost, the families that we can still save, let's make america

the country that yours cancer once and for all. -- cures cancer ononce and for all. reporter: vice president joe biden and president barack obama . there's has become very clearly much more than just a political alliance. sarah: in german politics, foreign minister frank-walter steinmeier is in columbia on what is one of his last official trips in the post. speaking at a press conference with his counterpart, steinmeier congratulated the colombian government with the farc rebel group. he added germany was ready to do anything it could to assist in making the process successful. steinmeier also meant with the president -- met with the president and others of his cabinet. you are watching dw news. we will take a short break, but another carmaker is under fire for cheating. this time it is the italian u.s.

giant fiat chrysler. and french prosecutors are also going after [indiscernible] we will have more. and diplomatic wrangling over and iranian art collection u unr wraps f for decades.. the wife o of the formerr shah s at the center of this intrigue. she tells dw news why the berlin exhibition had to be canceled.

♪ sarah: welcome back. a quick reminder of top stories, civil society group human rights watch says populism such as donald trump's election campaign is a threat to democracy in the u.s. and europe. populism encourages hate this -- hatefulness. key figures in the incoming trump administration had broken ranks with the president-elect.

the would-be cia chief and potential difference secretary have taken a hard line on russia at hearings to confirm their appointments. in business news, there are more emissions troubles for carmakers , and christophe is following that from the business desk. reporter: diesel, emissions, software, if that makes you think volkswagen, you are not wrong, but there is more. french prosecutors are looking at rendell -- renault at cheating. and the epa in the u.s. has taken aim at fiat chrysler. the company faces potential fines for more than $4 billion. reporter: the u.s. environmental protection agency has accused a carmaker of violating emissions regulations. they say fiat chrysler installed

cheating things on diesel engines. they include jeep cherokees and ram pickup's, popular models. fiat chrysler immediately denied any wrongdoing, saying it is disappointed in the conclusion of the regulators. the italian-american carmaker says the engines comply fully with environmental regulations. the company has been under fire in germany as well. last year, germany's transport ministry discovered cheating devices similar to those used in the volkswagen diesel engines on a number of fiat models. cristophe: the suspicions withth that volkswagen wasn't alonene, other car manufacturers were involved. reporter: the first market reaction was big, but they are

recovering in the trading session. cristophe: talk up the says it -- takata will plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing in the airbrbag scandal -- linknk to at least 16 deaths. it will pay $1 billion in fines and damages. they also indicted former toccata employees -- takata employees. exploding airbag triggered the recall of 42 million vehicles, the largest in u.s. history. china has grown into the biggest car maker. more people want to enjoy individual mobility and show off they can afford not a bicycle or a scooter but an automobile. there is a downside. it adds to air pollution and gridlock's the roads. authorities are desperate for ways to solve the problem. reporter: stuck in traffic.

5 million drivers club the road of the mega-city. trucks can only drivive at night he daytime routes from coming to a complete standstill, but the metropolis is no paradise for cyclists. might next right is the rule here. why worry about others when your light is green? >> sometimes i miss having my own car, but i won't be getting one anytime soon since white -- i probably can't get one anyway. reporter: why is it so difficult ? there are tight reins on the number of drivers allowed. car registrations are given out by an agency that decides who made by his or her firstst car. eachchound, onlyy 13,000 license plates are made available for more than 2 million applicants.

this m man has been hoping t tot lucky for two years. she doesn't like always having to take a taxi or trained to see her clients, and with her own car, the center -- 37-year-old could go away on the weekekend. >> i am stuck in a dilemma here. i need a car, but when i look at traffic c every day, i wish thee were far fewer cars. then there is parking. that i is also a problem. reporter: it is a complex system, a computer generates more lucky numbers out of the combinations out of lottery balls. it is supposed to be fair and transparent. chinese travel -- metropolises monitor this. shanghai is as expensive as a small car. >> my impression is that the people of beijing respect this

method and have understanding for the regulation. reporter: she will have to continue to take the train. she lost again. there is a solution, but she doesn't truce -- trust the batteries yet. there is electromobility, an alternative for myself as well. >> i could find an electric arc, but i will not go for it. there are too many traffic jams and too few parking spaces. instead, i take a bike, even if i have to constantly be on the lookout for beijing drivers. cristophe: were you disappointed with your christmas presents? is your birthday coming up, or do you want to get rid of excess pocket money? what about this beauty? it is 56 meters long and it is for sale and can be yours for 9 million euros. it is not just any old.. -- old yacht, it was featured in

a james bond movie. you get that can feel like james bond. it comes with a dining table for 12 people, a flatbed son launch, martinis, large screen television, high-end music system and of course your own personal jet ski. if your friends are tied up somewhere else at the moment, the yacht is available for chartering as well. that is all your business. sarah: it is beautiful. thank you very much. now we are going to head to a story. international art. the priceless iranian collection of modern art including major works by european artists like picasso and francis bacon, they have not left iran since the islamic revolution of 1979 and

his late wife, farah diba pahlavi collected them. they were due to be here in berlin but that had to be canceled after the iranian authorities handled the paperwork. she is talking to us from her home in paris where she lives in exile. >> art for me is very important, life. i think that art really must exist to give messages to the world, and the artists are people who remain forever. if people forget the name of leaders or kings or president, they never forget musicians and singers and artists. reporter: farah diba pahlavi was an iconn of the 1970''s along wh her husband the shaw of iran. -- shah of iran.

now she lives in exile. her home is full of artwork. in the 1970's, she was the face of perfection here with andy warhol. she also founded tehran's modern art museum. was finance out of the shah's budget. >> there are critics saying that the old art should go in other things instead of maybe for art, but what do you say to that? >> there are so many areas, and people who want to criticize also always find something. they are proud. itit is ultra heritage and material heritage for iran and the iranian people, but at the price we bought in those days today. reporter: the art collection has been locdd away since the islamic revolution in 1979.

decadedes laterer, a part of the collection was to go on show in berlin in december, but the export permits were not issued in time. speculation has been rife. >> one of the rumors is that you could make legal claims once the artworks would have left the country. >> this is really crazy. this museum was for irene -- iran and the iranian people. when this collection comes out in germany and in italy, i hope the mususeum will make sure that the works will go freely back to iran. reporter: farah diba pahlavi is still hopeful that the works she collected in the 1970's will make it to berlin, and that they will be shown in iran as well. sarah: a quick reminder of the top stories we are following before we go, civil society group human rights watch says

populism like donald trump's election campaign, is a threat to democracy in the u.s. and europe. populism encourages hateful violence. key figures in the incoming trump administration have broken ranks with the president-elect. the cia chief and potential defense secretary have taken hard-line on russia at hearings to confirm their appointments. you are up-to-date on dw news. i am sarah kelly and berlin. thank you very much for tuning in. we will see you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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anchor: 9:00 p.m. at the french capital, you are watching live from paris. the u.s. president-elect donald trump shrugs off differences between his stance and that of his cabinet nominee on a number of different issues. bringing consistency to immigration law, president obama ends a policy where cuban migrants in the u.s. would legally remain. u.n. talks aimed at ending decades of division in cyprus.